He was protesting because of the enormous deforestation that would be caused by the dam, as well as the displacement of natives. The Xingu river also contains 600 species of fish which are only found there. James Cameron commented on the similarity between the film and the situation in Brazil, saying "I wind up going to Brazil and all of a sudden I was living in Avatar".

Footage from the feature is also used in the behind-the-scenes video Capturing Avatar.